Weaknesses:
Like many of the players we’ve covered in Phoenix Suns Player Grades so far, it’s hard to gauge Knight’s season because his time in Phoenix was so limited. He also deserves a bit more leeway because of the adjustment period that comes any time you trade a player, especially when you’re talking about a point guard who ran the show before joining a team where he had to adapt to playing off the ball.
That being said, the small sample size (11 games, nine as a starter) sure wasn’t pretty.
With the Milwaukee Bucks, Knight was nearly an All-Star. He averaged 17.8 points, 5.4 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from downtown. In a Suns jersey, his numbers plummeted to 13.4 points, 4.5 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 0.5 steals per game while shooting 35.7 percent from the floor and 31.3 percent from deep.
So Brandon Knight is going to finish with 11 games, 16 games missed, and an eFG% of 43%. Not quite an inspiring start to his Suns tenure
— Scott Howard (@ScottHoward42) April 6, 2015
Knight is well aware that it was a bit of a bumpy adjustment.
“I am a competitor and enjoy being on the court and enjoy playing,” he said. “Being new to this team I wanted to help make a playoff push, and not being able to contribute the way I know I can based on not being comfortable and being hurt was kind of unfortunate.”
When grading Knight’s time with the Suns, we can only be so harsh on a player who was reeling from a shocking trade while also trying to conform to a whole new role with a new set of teammates. The ankle injury threw his comfort levels even further out of whack.
But we can only be too lenient, at least for handing out a grade for this season, since the Suns went 4-7 in the 11 games he played. It’s slightly bothersome that he struggled so heavily, particularly with his shot, playing off the ball. Shouldn’t a 41 percent three-point shooter thrive in that kind of role?
Brandon Knight had 10 catch-and-shoot 3PAs last night (six of those were off passes from Bledsoe).
— Michael Gallagher (@MikeSGallagher) February 24, 2015
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. The good news, however, is that even though Knight failed to adjust to playing off the ball, he’s not ready to give up on it just yet:
“It is about making the right play,” he said. “I don’t have an issue with it. Whoever’s hands the ball needs to be in, I am just about winning games.”
Next: Strengths